Chapter 21 CHAPTER 4 IN THE WATERS ABOUT MALTA

At the same time, Pierre's injury is getting better day by day.Soon, he no longer had to worry about it, and the wound was almost completely healed. But just thinking of his mother, of Sharapova whom he would never see again, how painful it was for him! His mother couldn't be kept in the dark any longer, and she couldn't let her take the blow and think her son was really dead.It was therefore agreed that they should try to tell her secretly that she should come to Antekyte to see Pierre.There was a doctor's intelligence agent in Laguze, who was ordered to observe the whereabouts of Madame Bathory while waiting for Pierre to fully recover from his wounds-his wounds would soon heal.

As for Sharapova, out of helplessness, Pierre decided never to mention her in front of the doctor again.How could he forget Sawa, though he thought she was now Sarkani's wife?Was it because Sawa was the daughter of Silas Dronta that Pierre no longer loved her?no!So should Sharapova be responsible for her father's crimes?But anyway, it was the Tower of Dragons that killed Étienne Batory!A fierce ideological struggle unfolded in his heart.Only Pierre himself understood the terrible extent to which this struggle continued. The doctor noticed this.He was constantly instructing Pierre, leading the young man to think of other things, to forget for a moment the pain in front of him, and to think of the vengeful cause which they were to unite in.Traitors must be punished, and they will be punished.How to punish has not yet been decided.But it is inevitable to punish them.

"Different methods, but one purpose!" the doctor repeated. If necessary, travel through thousands of mountains and rivers to achieve this goal. Recently, while recovering from his injuries, Pierre has been able to walk around the island sometimes on foot and sometimes by car.Everyone rejoiced that this small immigrant island was thriving under Dr. Antekit's administration. The islanders built forts relentlessly to protect the city, the harbor, and the island at the foot of the cone.Once the project is completed, artillery batteries consisting of long-range cannons can form a cross-fire, so that no enemy ships can get close.

Whether it is detonating torpedoes set on the waterway or manipulating guns to shoot, electricity will play a major role in the entire defense system.Doctors have made brilliant achievements in the development and application of electricity.A power station powered by steam engines and steam boilers has been built, equipped with 20 new generators with excellent performance.This is the electricity generated, stored in special, extremely high-voltage batteries, and used for all the administration, water supply, city lighting, telegraph, telephone, and circular and intra-island railways of Antakit .In short, due to the assiduous study and profound knowledge obtained in the doctor's youth, he has overcome an unsolved problem in modern science about the long-distance transmission of electricity.Later, because of the widespread application of electricity, the doctor built the "high-speed electric speedboat" mentioned above, which enabled him to quickly travel from one end of the Mediterranean to the other.

But coal is also an indispensable fuel for steam generators, so coal reserves must be guaranteed on Antaiket Island, and coal must be continuously transported from England by ships to supplement it. The small town is located in the depths of the harbour, in the shape of steps, with layers rising.The harbour, originally a natural port, has been given a new look after extensive earthworks.Two embankments and two breakwaters keep the port safe no matter which side the wind blows from.The harbor is full of water, even overflowing the pier.At any time, a small fleet is sufficient to guarantee the absolute safety of Antaiket.The fleet included a one-masted ship "Sawalena", a steam-powered collier carrying coal to Swingard and Cardiff, and a ship with a load of seven to eight hundred tons named "Ferhato". ", three "Electricity" speedboats, two of which have been converted into torpedo boats, can effectively guard the island.

Under the impetus of Dr. Antekit, the defense measures on the island are strengthened day by day.The pirates of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica are well aware of these conditions on the island!However, they are still ambitious and want to seize the island; because possession of it will be extremely beneficial to carry out the plan of the current leader of the Sanusi Brotherhood, Sidi Mohammad Mahdi, to rob ships.However, he also knew the difficulties of doing so, so he waited for the opportunity with the great patience typical of Arabs.The doctor would not be unaware of this, so he kept urging to speed up the progress of the defense project.When the project is completed, if you want to destroy it, you must use modern and destructive weapons.The Sanusi believers do not have these weapons yet.In addition, residents aged 18 to 40 on the island have formed a militia company, equipped with sophisticated rapid-fire weapons, and conducted artillery exercises under the command of selected excellent commanders.There are as many as five or six hundred people in the militia, which is a team with extremely strong combat effectiveness.

The vast majority of immigrants on the island live in cities, and only a few live on farms in the countryside.The city was named Atnak in honor of Count Sandov's domain on the shady slopes of Mount Carpathus.The city of Atenac is picturesque, and there are at least hundreds of houses in the city.Unlike in the United States, where the houses line up left and right, the square is just like being built on a chessboard, and the streets and alleys are as straight as if drawn with ink lines like duckbill strokes. There are new gardens with beautiful shade.Some houses were built in European style, others in Arabic style, and the two kinds of houses were intertwined and distributed on both sides of the water-it all seemed so new, lovely and attractive.Residents in the city, like living in a big family, not only participate in public activities, but also maintain the tranquility and independence of their families.

How happy are these inhabitants of Antakit! The Latin proverb "Where there is happiness is the fatherland" is obviously unpatriotic, but it is very suitable for these honest residents of the island.They responded to the doctor's call, left their poor homeland, came to this hospitable island, and lived a happy life. As for Dr. Antekit's house, the settlers called it the town hall, the seat of the city government.But the doctor does not claim to be a leader, he is just a pioneer. This is a lovely Moorish building with a lookout on the roof, wooden bars on the windows, an inner courtyard and corridors in the middle, colonnades and fountains outside.The living room and rooms have been decorated by some artisans from the Arabian provinces.Expensive building materials were used for the construction of the house: marble and white jade from the fertile hills of Fairfila.On the shore of Numidian Bay, a few kilometers from Port Philipauville, it is mined and operated by a learned and skilled engineer.These carbonate stones have long been known as building materials by architects.In the hot climate of Africa, the sun's rays shine on the marble, showing golden lines, as if drawn with a paintbrush.

A little later in the city of Atenac stands the elegant bell tower of a small church.The black and white marble used to build the church is provided by the same quarry, which can meet the needs of various sculptures and architectural arts.These marbles, with dark blue stripes or yellow dendritic patterns, bear a striking resemblance to the precious marbles from the two places of Caralbalos in antiquity. On the hilltops near the outside of the city, isolated houses, several villas and a small hospital are scattered layer upon layer.Dr. Antekit is the only doctor on the island, and if someone is sick, he sends the patient to the hospital for treatment.Down the mountain, on the hillside leading to the sea, there are some beautiful houses, which are simply summer resorts.Among them was a particularly comfortable house, as low as a small blockhouse, situated in the porterhouse of the jetty.If it had to be named, it would be Villa Boscade and Matif.Because these two inseparable partners live here, and there is a tour guide who serves them exclusively.They never even dreamed that they would be so rich!

"It's so nice here!" Matiff kept saying. "Simply wonderful!" echoed Boscade, "that's above our status! You know, Matiff, we should be educated, go to high school, get a grammar prize, what? A certificate would be nice!" "But you are educated, Boscade!" said Hercules solemnly, "you can read, write, and count..." Indeed, in Matiff's view, Boscard is simply a scientist!In fact, the young man knew very well.I am too uneducated.He, a person who has never been to school, as he himself said, only studied in the "Fontainbleau Carp Pond", when and where did he really learn culture?Therefore, he studied hard in the Atinac library and tried to teach himself.At the same time, with the doctor's permission, Matif moved sand and stones by the sea and built a small fish pond.

And Pierre Bathory also found that Boskard was very smart, but he lacked Wenbi, so he actively encouraged him to study.He offered to be Boscade's teacher and gave him a comprehensive primary education, and Boscade made rapid progress.There was another reason for the intimacy between Pierre and Boscade.Didn't Boscade know Pierre's parentage?Didn't he take on the task of monitoring the Duolongta mansion?When Sharapova was dragged back to the mansion in a coma, didn't he see the funeral procession for Pierre pass by on Stratton Street?On several occasions, Boscade was obliged to relate the painful events he had seen and heard.Therefore, when Pierre was in great pain, he could only talk to Boscade and let him share his pain.As a result, the two established a close relationship and became close friends. And the time for action is approaching, and the doctor will carry out his double plan: reward first, then punish. André Fercharto died in Stan Prison a few months after his sentence, and the doctor could no longer repay him, but the doctor wanted to repay his children.Regrettably, although the doctor's intelligence personnel searched for a needle in a haystack, they failed to find the whereabouts of Lu Ji and his sister.After their father died, the siblings fled again.Leaving Rovigno and Istria.Where did they go?No one knows, and can't find out.Because of this, the doctor was deeply worried and worried.He decided that he must find the sons and daughters of the benefactor who sacrificed for himself, so he issued an order to continue searching persistently. For Mrs. Bathory, Pierre had only one wish, and that was to bring his mother to the island of Antekyte.But the doctor wants to use the illusion of Pierre's death to carry out his plan (as he benefits from his own alleged death), and he informs Pierre of the need to proceed with caution.Besides, on the one hand, he wanted to join him in the upcoming battle after Pierre regained his strength. Take no action until the wedding. The intelligence officers in Laguz reported to the doctor everything that happened there.And continued to watch Mrs. Bathory's house carefully, keeping a close eye on Stratton Mansion. The doctor waited anxiously, hoping to remove all obstacles so that he could act as soon as possible.If the doctor did not know where Carpena was after he left Roviggio, then Silas Dronta and Saccagni had been living in Lajuz and could not escape his sight. On August 20, an intelligence agent sent a telegram to the city government via the Malta-Antekyte submarine cable.It mentions that Silas Doronta, Sawa, and Sakani left Rajuz, and then mentions that Mrs. Bathory and Paulic have just left Rajuz, and their whereabouts are unknown.It is conceivable how the doctor felt when he received such a telegram at this time. There must be no further delay.The doctor immediately called Pierre and told him exactly what he had just learned.What a blow to Pierre!His mother disappeared, and Sharapova was taken somewhere by Silas Dronta.But he can conclude that Sharapova must still be in Sarkani's hands! "We'll start tomorrow," said the doctor. "Let's go now!" cried Pierre. "But where can I find my mother? . . . Where can I find it? . . . " Pierre was burning with anxiety. Before he could finish speaking, the doctor interrupted him: "I think if we should think so, it's no coincidence that these two things happened at the same time, Mrs. Bathory's disappearance must be related to Silas Dronta and Sakani! We'll figure it out! Now it's time to find These two shameless guys are what we are going to do right now!" "Where to find them?" asked Pierre. "Sicily... maybe they're there!" Everyone remembers that Count Sandorf overheard a conversation between Saccani and Zirona in the main tower of Castle Vasino.Zirona once said that Sicily is where he started his business.If one day he couldn't get along in other places, he would suggest his companions to go there.The doctor remembered this detail, and at the same time he remembered Zirona's name.This is just a little clue, but in the absence of other clues, this is an important clue to track Sarkani and Silas Doronta. The doctor decided to leave immediately.Boscade and Matif were also informed by the accompanying doctor and were ready to go out with the doctor at any time.At this time, Boscade knew the past history of Silas Doronta, Saccani, and Carpena. "Three rascals!" he said. "I expected it!" Then he said to Matiff: "You are about to appear!" "Right now?" Matiff asked excitedly. "Yes. But it's up to you!" Set off that evening.The "Ferhato", which is ready to go to sea at any time, has already prepared food, filled the coal cabin with coal, adjusted the compass, and is ready to set sail at eight o'clock in the evening. From the Great Siirt Gulf to Cape Portio di Paro, at the southern tip of Sicily, is about nine hundred and fifty miles.Ordinary speedboats with an average speed of more than 18 knots can pass in only one and a half days. The "Ferhato" is a superior cruiser of the Antequite Navy, built by the Royal Shipyard in France.The effective power can reach 1,500 horsepower.Its boiler is manufactured according to the Belleville system (tube boiler, water flows through the tube instead of fire, and the outer wall of the tube is heated by fire), which has many advantages, such as fast vaporization, low coal consumption, and steam pressure rises to 14 to 5 kg A breeze without any risk of explosion.After this steam is used, it can re-enter the heating furnace and cycle repeatedly, thus becoming the driving force of very powerful mechanical energy.Although this ship is not as big as the communication ships of the European fleet, it can match them in terms of speed. The "Ferhato" was equipped with comfortable cabins, and the passengers were comfortable and content, needless to say.In addition, there are four steel cannons on board, two Hotkiss rotary guns, two Catlin-type heavy machine guns, and a long destroyer gun on the bow, which can shoot sixteen-centimeter diameter shells. kilometers away. The composition of the ship's staff is as follows: a captain named Kostrik, of Dalmatian origin.One deputy captain, two lieutenants.In the engine room, there are one helmsman, one deputy helmsman, four stokers, and two coal carriers.Thirty crew members, including a boatswain and two sergeants.There is a small leader in the cabin and the galley each, and three handymen under him.There are four officers and forty-three staff members on board.This is the composition of all persons on board. In the first few hours, the ship sailed out of the Siirt Gulf fairly smoothly.Although the sea breeze blows from the northwest, it is quite strong.But under the command of the captain, the speed is very fast.However, due to running against the wind, the bow, foremast jib, foremast trapezoid, midmast and mizzen jib are impossible to use. At night, the ship moved forward like a pedestrian walking briskly.The doctor and Pierre lived in two adjoining cabins, and Boscade and Matiff lived in the two cabins at the bow, so that they could rest in peace without worrying about the pitching of the ship.But to tell the truth, the two friends slept soundly, but the doctor and Pierre were so worried that they did not close their eyes almost all night. The next day, when the passengers boarded the deck, the ship had been away from Antakit for twelve hours and had traveled one hundred and twenty kilometers.The direction of the wind remained unchanged, and the wind gusted from the north, but its strength continued unabated.The sun broke through the clouds and rose in the sky, but the air was so heavy that it felt like a storm was coming. Boscade and Matif came up to say good morning to the doctor and Pierre Bathory. "Thank you, my friends!" replied the doctor. "Did you sleep soundly in your berths?" "Slept well! Like a dormouse," said Boscade cheerfully. "Has Matiff had breakfast, then?" "I have eaten, Mr. Doctor, a soup pot of strong coffee, and two kilograms of sea biscuits." "Hmm! This kind of biscuit is a bit hard!" "Hey! I used to be a person who didn't eat the next meal, but now I'm afraid of hard work!" Boscade replied. Matiff shook his head slowly, agreeing with his companion's answer. Due to the doctor's urgent order, the "Ferhato" was running at full speed at this time.The boat cut through the waves like a sharp knife, causing two jets of splashing water to shoot back from either side. Besides, only high-speed driving safety can be guaranteed.After talking with the doctor, Kostrik considered it necessary to anchor in Malta, where the lighthouse could be seen at nearly eight o'clock in the evening. As expected, the weather got worse and worse.The more westward the sun, the stronger the north wind, and the continuous black clouds rising from the east, spreading and covering three-quarters of the sky.When a ray of sunlight pierced through a gap in the clouds, a long strip of blue-gray and dark color appeared on the sea surface, swimming like a black leech, and then turned black.A few bolts of lightning had pierced through the huge charged cloud, but no thunder could be heard.The east wind and the west wind were fighting on the sea, and the sea lost its balance.At six o'clock in the evening, the sky was covered with thick clouds, the sea was dark, and the thunder rumbled. Only the glare of lightning illuminated the darkness. "Follow the circumstances and operate freely!" The doctor said to the captain seeing that the ship was a little bumpy. "Yes! It should be so, Mr. Doctor," replied Captain Kostrik. "In the Mediterranean, either the east wind blows or the west wind blows! Either the west wind overwhelms the east wind, or the east wind overwhelms the west wind. Now that the storm is in full swing, I fear the east wind will prevail. There will be rough seas near Gozo and Malta, It might be very bad for our sailing. But instead of going to Valletta for shelter, I suggest finding a shelter on Gozo or on the west coast of Malta, and staying until daybreak." "What to do, everything is up to you!" The doctor replied firmly. The Ferharto was then about thirty miles west of the island of Malta.Gozo, near the northwestern tip of the island of Malta, is separated by two narrow canals with a central island between them.On Gozo Island.There is a first-class lighthouse that can illuminate twenty-seven nautical miles. Before one o'clock in the morning, despite the violent wind and waves, the "Ferhato" entered the lighthouse's illumination range smoothly.Captain Kostrik carefully measured the position of the lighthouse, and found that he could get close to the lighthouse and find a sheltered place within a few hours without going close to the coast. He ordered, therefore, that the speed of the ship should be reduced, in order to avoid any trouble in the hull or machinery. An hour passed, and the lighthouse on Gozo Island was still not seen.Although the coast of the island is high with cliffs, it is still impossible to discern where the island is. The storm was violent and the rain was torrential.The dark clouds in the sky were torn into pieces by the strong wind, passing through the sky at extremely high speed.A few stars flickered among the gaps in the clouds, and then went out immediately.One after another, the dark clouds dragged to the sea like tails, and swept across the sea like huge treetops.Many times three bolts of lightning struck the waves simultaneously in three places, sometimes surrounding the launch.Rumbling thunder.Constantly shaking the entire sky. The already difficult situation has rapidly deteriorated and become even more disturbing. Captain Kostrik knew in his heart that the "Ferhato" was at least 30 kilometers away from the lighthouse on Gozo Island, and he dared not go any further near the coast.He even worried that the height of the coast would block his view from the island.In the event this is the case, the boat is fairly close to shore.If the ship sailed towards the isolated boulder under the cliff, the whole ship's personnel would die immediately, and the consequences would be disastrous. At nearly half past nine in the evening, the captain decided to stop advancing and let the machine run at low speed.Even though it didn't come to a complete stop, the thrusters were only maintained at a few revolutions per second.This is a necessary measure to keep the rudder from failing.In this case, the hull must have been, and has been, shaken violently, but at least it will not be thrown ashore. This went on for three hours, and the situation continued to deteriorate until midnight. The confrontation, the struggle between the east and west winds, which is common in stormy weather, ceased suddenly, and a strong north wind blew over the ship as if it were day.In the sky, the dark clouds suddenly disappeared in some places, and the north wind seemed to be suppressed for several hours, blowing more violently. "There's a lighthouse ahead!" cried one of the sailors on watch below the bowsprit. "Sharp turn!" ordered the captain, who wanted to keep the ship away from shore. Like the watchman, the captain saw the lighthouse.The light came on and off, intermittently, and it must be the lighthouse on Gozo Island. It was necessary to return immediately to the opposite direction, and as the oncoming wind howled with such violence that the Ferharto was within two nautical miles of the cape when she suddenly caught sight of the lighthouse above. At this time, the helmsman was ordered to increase the horsepower, but suddenly the speed of the machine slowed down, and then stopped. The doctor, Pierre Bathory, and all the crew came on deck with a premonition that something serious was afoot. Sure enough, an unexpected accident happened: the valve of the air pump failed, and the condenser did not work well.There were a few turns of the thrusters, a couple of bangs as if from the stern of the boat, and then it came to a complete stop. Under the circumstances at the time, such a fault could not be ruled out.To fix it, the air pump had to be removed, which took hours.But in less than twenty minutes, gusts of wind would have blown the boat ashore and against the rocks. "Hoist the foremast jib! ... Hoist the spinnaker! ... Hoist the mizzen trapezoid!" ordered the captain.In order to get out of the predicament, he can only use the sail.Upon hearing the order, the crew acted immediately and coordinated operations.If it had not been for the quickness of Burscade, and the help of Matiff with his divine power, the sling would obviously have been snapped. The situation on the "Ferhato" is still very critical.It was a steamboat, long and narrow, with a shallow draft, and generally not enough sails, to sail against a headwind or to sail round and round.If it sails downwind, as long as there are some strong winds and waves, it will encounter situations where it cannot turn or be thrown to the shore by the waves. Not only is the sail of the "Ferhato" difficult to maneuver, but it is also impossible to turn the bow and sail westward against the wind.Gradually, the ship was thrown under the cliff, as if it could only choose this place to dock under the dire situation in front of it.Unfortunately, due to the deep night and the darkness around, Captain Kostrik couldn't see the situation on the shore at all.He knew very well that on either side of a central island were two canals, the Comino North and the Comino South, which separated the island of Gozo from the island of Malta.But the night is so dark, can their mouth be found?Is it possible to enter the mouth of the river through this violent sea and reach this place on the east bank, or the port of Valletta to shelter from the wind?Perhaps only an experienced pilot or fisherman is capable of such a dangerous maneuver.But on such a dark, foggy and stormy night, which fisherman would take such a risk to save this shipwreck? Amidst the raging wind, the "Ferhato" whistled for a long time, and still issued a deafening call for help, and fired three cannons successively. Suddenly, a small black spot appeared in the sea fog on the shore: a small boat with its sails furled was approaching the "Ferhato".Perhaps it was a fisherman who, driven by the storm, took refuge in the depths of the little bay of Melieja.His boat sheltered behind huge rocks, as if in Calypso's Cave, which rivaled Fingal's Cave on Staffa.He heard the sirens and gunfire of distressed ships. Without hesitation, the man took the boat and risked his life to save the barely sailable vessel.If the "Ferhato" was saved, he could only be the rescuer and no one else. The boat gradually approached.A cable was prepared on board the wreck so that when the boat approached it would still be available to the person who risked his life.A few minutes seemed mortally long, and time seemed to have stopped, and the Ferharto was only half a hawse away from the rock. At this moment the cable was thrown.But a huge wave lifted the boat high, and then threw it towards the side of the "Ferhato", and the boat was smashed to pieces.If it wasn't for Matif's sharp eyesight and quick hands to catch the fisherman, lift him up according to inertia, and put him on the deck, he would almost die in hell. At this moment the fisherman didn't say a word-how could he have the time to speak?He jumped onto the bridge and grabbed the steering wheel with one hand.The moment the bow turned toward the rocks and seemed about to smash into pieces, he turned the wheel and steered the boat into the narrow channel of the North Comino Canal.In less than twenty minutes, the boat sailed through the canal with the wind and reached the relatively calm sea on the east coast of the island of Malta.At this time, the sails on the boat were all taut, and he drove the boat along the coast, and advanced nearly a hundred meters.At four o'clock in the morning, the sky will be bright, and the eastern sky has been stained with fish belly white.At this time, the ship had already sailed along the Valletta channel and anchored at the Sangora Wharf at the entrance of the military port. At this moment Doctor Antekit stepped onto the bridge and said to the young sailor: "You saved us, my friend, thank you." "I just did my duty." "Are you the pilot?" "No, just a fisherman." "Then your name? . . . " "Luigi Fercharto!"